1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electrical, condition responsive systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to fire suppression systems utilizing remotely controlled water or foam suppression systems and their methods of operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fighting large fires, particularly in environments where fires can spread rapidly, requires methods and equipment which have very quick response times. The time between the detection of fire and the instant when firefighting resources are fully put into service is often critical, especially when there is the potential of the fire spreading rapidly, such as at industrial petrochemical installations.
The amount of fire-fighting resources required to contain the fire at these installations may be directly proportional to the delay between the fire's first appearance and the beginning of the fire suppression operations. Meanwhile, the value of the property damage caused by in such fires is reportedly exponentially proportional to this delay. In such dangerous environments, the rapid application of a fire suppressant when any flames are initially detected provides for a much better chance of the fire's containment and suppression with the least involvement of fire-fighting resources, and as a result, a minimal amount of property damage.
Current automated fire suppression systems, which are common in the art of suppressing fires, have significant limitations. For example, their use is almost totally restricted to applications involving confined spaces. Such automated systems are ill suited for large outdoor installations.
Large outdoor installations are usually protected from fire by the use of mobile fire-fighting equipment. Example of this equipment include turret-type devices, called monitors, which allow a fire-fighter to operate fire suppressant nozzles, like water guns, from within the cabin of a vehicle. In general, these devices consist of a water or foam cannon that allows the movement of the nozzle in two perpendicular planes—vertical and horizontal. Motorized servo controls are connected, often with joystick manipulator devices, within the cabin of the fire-fighting vehicle. Companies such as AcronBrass (Wooster, Ohio) manufacture such devices.
Also known in the prior art are numerous remotely-operated fire-fighting vehicles, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,875,526 and 4,170,264. These vehicles are designed to penetrate into dangerous zones while minimizing the risk to human life.
Despite much prior art relating to fire-fighting equipment and techniques, there still exists a need for further technological improvements which can help to better protect petrochemical and other large, outdoor, industrial installations from fire.